


KINGS

by howlish



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 10:59:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18467578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howlish/pseuds/howlish
Summary: Three of the four Kings have been assassinated and replaced in just four years, and tensions are high as the new King of Spades is finally crowned. A full fantasy AU based (vaguely) on a deck of cards, w/ rarepair emphasis.





	KINGS

**Author's Note:**

> There's a lot of world info to introduce, so I'll do my best to be clear!  
> My Mukuro is genderfluid and switches between using he/him and xe/xir depending on the character perspective and other factors.

The King of Spades’ introduction was as dramatic as the event deserved.

The rest of the gathered royalty had finished filing in a few minutes before, found their respective areas of the large ballroom, but not been given quite enough time to finish measuring up the other parties. The low music played by invisible instruments all around the room slowly picked up in volume, speed, and intensity until everyone had been forced to quiet, all eyes drawn naturally to the far end of the room where the Spades were meant to be, the thick curtain of a backdrop behind their table, and the stage it rested on.

The man who parted the curtain and stepped out was impressive and strikingly handsome in a very deliberate way, with dramatic attire, tall heels that had to put him over six feet, long hair in a thin ponytail and dark horns that swept back from his forehead in a sharp curve. The elegant trident held in one gloved hand and the swathe of skin on his side laid bare to show the spades decorating his hip completed the look— at least until the music calmed, he stepped forward to take center stage, and he opened his eyes to show bright red and blue irises.

Enma was transfixed. And, he felt quite fairly, thoroughly intimidated.

Next to him, he heard a quiet, tired sigh from Shouichi. “And I thought _our_ King liked to make an entrance.”

Enma glanced over at the Jack, surprised by the comparison but unable to fully deny it now that it was spoken into existence. The King of Spades before them with his horns, the King of Diamonds who was conspicuously absent with his occasional flare for bright white wings… the apparent mutual need for all eyes to be on them. Though he and Enma struggled to see eye to eye on anything, in this Shouichi was right, and some of the intimidation Enma felt slipped away.

On the stage, another figure had joined the King with far less pomp and circumstance, a smaller girl at his side with her shoulder exposed to show her own royal mark opposite the King’s. They made quite a pair together, and Enma found himself wondering if they were siblings, but the line of thinking was cut off as the King finally spoke before the side chatter among the royalty could get out of hand.

“It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Spade Kingdom. My name is Mukuro, and I will be serving as the King of Spades for the foreseeable future.” He offered a small but flourishing bow, and straightened quickly. Enma waited for him to introduce the girl next to him, certainly the Queen of Spades for how she stood next to him as an equal, but it never came. “I have confidence that the next week will be productive and gratifying for all of us,” as Mukuro spoke, Enma could swear he made direct eye contact, as if speaking to him directly, intimately — but the way Shouichi tensed up next to him, maybe it wasn’t an exclusive experience — “but for tonight, let us forget the worries of royalty and politics. It _is_ a party, isn’t it?”

Just like that, the mingling had begun. The formal air was broken as Mukuro stepped down from the stage, helped the likely Queen down daintily as well, and servants and lesser royalty started to fill the floor with food, drinks, dancing. Again, Enma could swear his eyes locked with Mukuro’s, then it was gone again.

Honestly, this was the part Enma had been dreading most. The coming week of formal meetings and difficult decisions was going to be unpleasant, not in the least because his Jack would be the one making all of his decisions _for_ him, but this? ‘Casual’ socializing steeped in a hundred traditions with everyone trying to get a leg up on the backstabbing before the meetings started? He sighed heavily now that the sound could be covered by ambient music again, and tried to make small talk with the person closest to him: the Jack of Diamonds, Shouichi.

“I always feel bad for royalty whose marks are places like their thigh or hip, like it must be so embarrassing… he doesn’t seem to mind, though, huh?” Enma’s own mark was sometimes annoyingly conspicuous, and apparently came with a bad omen besides, the bright red diamonds around his neck meant to symbolize beheading. A baseless superstition, but an uncomfortable one all the same. At least, he tried to rationalize, he could wear whatever he wanted without exposing himself the way Mukuro had to (but, again, the man didn’t seem opposed to showing a little skin).

Instead of indulging his attempts at communication, predictably, Shouichi was curt and abrupt. “Don’t let your guard down. We don’t know _why_ it takes so long to choose a King of Spades, but whatever comes out of it can’t be good.”

Lecturing. Of course. There was a reason the Queen and Jack of Diamonds couldn’t get along. “Thanks,” he grumbled, displeasure barely masked. Another stab at it, then. Shouichi always liked complaining about their King. “Looks like Byakuran isn’t the only one who skipped out this year.”

“...The Clubs can be expected, they never show up in full force.” Enma wanted to interject again, to insist _I know that_ , but he knew it didn’t matter. Shouichi was going to talk down to him, because he _was_ smarter than Enma, and he _did_ know more. “It’s strange that Mukuro didn’t introduce his Queen, though. And it’s not often the new Spades haven’t chosen a Jack by now, either.”

“Maybe they have. If he didn’t introduce the Queen…”

Shouichi gave him a look that said he didn’t much care for the interjection, and Enma shrugged uncomfortably. Maybe he should be more careful, after all. The less his Jack watched him tonight, the better.

Mukuro, though, kept looking over.

###### 

It was a veritable feast laid before Mukuro’s eyes. The King of Clubs was an expected loss, the lion-tailed man was so infamous for hating social gatherings that the yearly banquet was postponed every _single_ year the Clubs were meant to hold it. More annoying was the mysterious Jack of Clubs also notably truant, the silver-haired Queen being the last man standing, proudly holding down his table with all the presence his King currently lacked. That Jack _Mammon_ had piqued Mukuro’s interest for a long time, and their hooded figure was sorely missed now that Mukuro had the ability to approach them unhindered.

The Diamonds’ missing King, however, was more of a surprise, and an amusing one at that. Byakuran had been causing waves since he was crowned just two years prior, and the disrespect of not showing up to meet the new King of Spades was blatant. Maybe Xanxus could get away with it, but Xanxus had fifty-odd years under his belt, and Byakuran was as much a babe as the rest of the new Kings, Mukuro xirself included.

Adding in the assumed-missing Jack of Spades — Fran was present, but had no interest in being known just yet — the Hearts were the only royalty here in full force. At this point, they almost seemed _over-eager_ compared to the other suits, and though Mukuro’s eyes had repeatedly pulled towards the intriguing little Queen at the Diamonds table, it was ultimately the Hearts xe approached first, silent laughter painted on xir lips.

“Allow me to welcome you more personally,” xe stated as greeting. “King Tsunayoshi. Queen Takeshi,” xe paused, smile growing imperceptibly, “Hayato.”

“Ah— thank you, it’s our pleasure to be here.” The King was soft-spoken, uncertain, unimpressive; the problem with the other kingdoms was their strict adherence to bloodlines to choose a new King. While Mukuro certainly had the blood of a King flowing through xir, xe’d _earned_ the position. There was no doubt xe had infinitely more respect from xir people than little nervous Tsunayoshi would have in a decade.

But it wasn’t Tsunayoshi Mukuro had come for, nor the Queen who spoke up with a friendly, “Congratulations on your appointment! We were starting to wonder if the Spades would ever get a new King, it’s comforting to have all the seats filled again.” Takeshi leaned on the table with his chin in his hand, disarmingly casual. He would be one to watch. “That is, if you two have decided on a Jack yet?” Xe hadn’t introduced Chrome as xir Queen, but already Takeshi had skipped past the pleasantries and confirmations— he _would_ be one to watch.

Smiling blithely, Mukuro took it in stride, teasing in return. “Perhaps we should follow your example, and wait a few _more_ years before picking one up?”

Takeshi’s hand found the shoulder of their Jack with an amicable grip, challenging. Mukuro wasn’t the only one to notice how quiet Hayato was being. “If you get one half as good you’ll be lucky. Did you see that airship we arrived in? All our Jack’s doing!”

“Is that so?” xe purred, eyes finally finding their prize as they fixed on Hayato’s bright teal. The amount of silent anger burning in them was delightful, and urged Mukuro on further. Xir hand smoothly reached to grab Hayato’s, urging him to stand, “Perhaps you would join me for a dance? I’d _love_ to hear all about your work—”

“No thanks.” The rejection cut xir off harshly as Hayato’s hand was pulled back, and both the other royalty present stared in a shock Mukuro didn’t feel. Frankly, it was amazing he’d managed to not curse, and no more surprising when he turned on his heel and made a beeline out of the ballroom.

Mukuro chuckled lightly as xe watched him go, but before the situation could be made any more awkward for the King and Queen technically responsible for this extremely _rude_ display, Takeshi had stood as well, and taken Mukuro’s hand in Hayato’s place, for all the world as if he had been the one invited.

“I may not know anything about the airships, but it would be an honor to dance with you, Mukuro!” Not _King Mukuro_. Was he aware of the situation between the two of them, or just standing up for his Jack? Either way, the decorum Hayato had spat in the face of did work in Takeshi’s favor. For now, Mukuro would accept xir consolation prize with grace.

###### 

Stupid. _Stupid_. Stupid to come here, stupid to think he could ever play at being royalty, stupid to let them have so much fucking hope in him.

 _Not_ stupid to be rude to Mukuro. Fuck that guy. But the rest, the rest of Hayato’s fucking life, felt like a series of hubristic mistakes leading up to the exact moment Mukuro lifted that curtain and dug Hayato’s grave. And Tsuna’s. And Takeshi’s. Motherfucker. So _stupid_.

Thankfully no one else had been so quick to ditch the party going on inside, leaving Hayato some much-needed privacy out on the balcony. He’d managed to bottle up his feelings for those precious few minutes inside, but the second Mukuro touched his hand he’d felt a jolt of the fear he was avoiding.

His hands were still shaking as he lifted his lighter to his cigarette, flicking it a few times in vain as only small sparks came out. “ _Fuck,_ ” he whispered, frustration about to boil over but abruptly halted at the sound of the door opening again behind him.

“Hey.” As quickly as he’d tensed up, he released some of it again. “I’ll trade you.” Dino stepped next to him and reached over with his own more functional lighter, but as he pulled away he’d already pulled out another one of Hayato’s cigarettes to place between his own lips. The action was well-practiced as Dino leaned down to light one cigarette with the flame of the other, and they settled into their usual comfortable rhythm, leaned over the balcony, taking in the stunning forest view a dozen floors below them.

“You could have just said ‘I have a boyfriend.’” Hayato had been braced for impact, but Dino had gotten to be an expert in talking to him, using some bare humor to broach the subject instead of going direct immediately.

“It’s nothing.”

“It was… _something_. You’re not stupid.” His scoffs no longer earned him so much as a look, thankfully. “If it’s any consolation, Takeshi is taking great joy in monopolizing the King’s dance time and talking his ear off about how great the fishing is in the Heart Kingdom this time of year.”

It did bring him some amusement, at least— could always count on Takeshi to back Hayato up in his own weird way, even when he had no idea what was going on. Unfortunately, it didn’t change the situation any.

After a few more drags off his cigarette in a silence that Dino let saturate, he finally spoke up. “It’s over. I told you I wasn’t worth the risk. I thought… My family can’t be Kings, so I thought I was in the clear. That no one here would know.” Unconsciously, his free hand moved to his chest, where the royal mark of spades intermingled with the hearts he was supposed to be displaying proudly. His fist clenched, his teeth grit. _Fucking stupid_. “My fucking luck.”

“Mukuro knows? How?”

The laugh Hayato let out was bitter and joyless, wry amusement at all the terrible events that had to line up to ruin things this spectacularly. “My fucking _neighbor_. I grew up next to him. Only other person in the entire fucking kingdom to see my whole mark and he becomes King.”

Dino let out a quiet _oof_ , that was a rough hand to be dealt. About as rough as every other hand Hayato had been dealt so far, really. Thinking on the implications, he wrapped his free arm around Hayato’s shoulders, a gesture of comfort that was reluctantly leaned into. “...It’s not over. If it was over, you wouldn’t have walked out.” Hayato’s mouth twisted like he wanted to disagree, wanted to spout his usual pessimism, but he resisted. “Worst case, you would have gone with Mukuro, and tried to put on a show of how you were _tricking us_ or something. But instead, you told him to fuck off.” In as many words.

Brows furrowed in annoyance at being read so easily. Rather than answer what Dino was asking, he said, “the fuck did you even come here for? You’re not royalty.”

Dino’s smile read clear as day: _Ah, he’s bitching again._ “If anyone asks, I’m a royal advisor. You three are all new to the job, it’s normal to have an advisor come along to trade talks. But really… you seemed nervous. For good reason, I guess. I wanted to be here if you needed someone to talk to.”

Hayato let out a huff, but all the annoyance was gone. When had his hands stopped shaking, anyway? “...Mukuro’s a _sadistic asshole_ , but he’s smarter than he is mean. He won’t expose me just to cause a scandal. He’s gonna sit on it, and hold it over us, and use it for blackmail. I don’t know if he’ll pull it out yet, but he knows I know. He won’t give up that power easily.”

Dino hummed in quiet consideration over this new information, letting his cigarette burn down a bit further. “You know, you’re also smarter than you are mean.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m serious!”

“I can go meaner if you want.”

“My _point_ is that you’re our tactician for a reason. You’ve already thought three steps ahead, and predicted his moves — confidently enough, I might add, to _reject_ his _first dance as King_. And you were right.” He shrugged as if to deny the compliments, but it was the shoulder Dino’s hand wasn’t on. Not a rejection.

Dino crushed out the last of his pilfered cigarette and pushed his working lighter into Hayato’s hand, laying a kiss on his forehead in temporary farewell. “It’s not over. …Take your time, I’ll make sure you aren’t missed.”

“Yeah. Thanks. I’ll try to not fuck this one up.”

###### 

He wasn’t imagining it. He couldn’t be. Even as Mukuro danced with the Queen of Hearts amidst the other duos, Enma could feel those mismatched eyes boring into him, the only thing that could distract from the uncomfortable silence at the Diamond table since he and Shouichi had run out of things to talk about… not that there had been anything to begin with. The ride here had already been filled with stony silences like this, leaving Enma deep in his own thoughts more than was healthy.

But for all that time left to himself to think, all that time spent thinking specifically about why Mukuro was staring at him, he had come up with absolutely nothing. Enma was not the brains of the Diamond Kingdom. Enma was not the anything of the Diamond Kingdom, as Shouichi had no problem reminding him, in his subtle Shouichi ways, at least twice a week.

The question would not answer itself, but as fate would have it, as soon as Mukuro had extracted himself from the boisterous Queen that had ensnared him, he made an immediate line for the Diamond table and its less than boisterous residents.

“Queen Enma! It is so good to finally meet you, after all I’ve heard.” The King’s overtly pleasant greeting put Enma off guard. No mention of Byakuran’s absence? And that enthusiasm, over Enma—

“I’m…” don’t say sorry, “flattered, but my Jack may serve you better.” Everyone knew, after all. Everyone had heard that he was a Queen under his Jack’s thumb. Even pretending they hadn’t, there could be no doubt Shouichi was better for any official business.

Shouichi himself straightened up in his chair and made to speak, but was cut off before he could get a word in. “Mm, you seem _much_ friendlier. Would you dance with me, before Queen Takeshi’s energy catches up to me?” And just like that, Enma was being pulled to the floor, swept into Mukuro’s whims without the chance to say no.

“W-wait,” he quieted, nervousness painted plainly across his face, “I— I’m not a good dancer.” A point of constant embarrassment in his training growing up, he was too clumsy tenfold, but again, Mukuro seemed unperturbed and maneuvered Enma into a dancing position all the same.

“Don’t worry, little one, I’ll lead. This way, he can’t listen in.”

“..what?”

“Your Jack. Nasty fellow, isn’t he? Watching your every move while your King can’t even be bothered to show up.”

The casual way Mukuro spoke took Enma several tries to keep up with, even more so than the dance steps. “I— I don’t, um—” Whatever he wasn’t going to say was cut off by a quick twirl, then he was in Mukuro’s arms again, being moved clumsily along steps he didn’t know. It was ugly, but it was better than he could do alone, at least.

“You looked so suffocated, I had to play savior at least _once_ ,” his teasing tone was almost too on point, too charming, and a few smaller alarm bells went off in Enma’s head. But it was all surprisingly… intentional, too. “So, Enma. How do you like being a figurehead?”

His chest tightened, and he stumbled over his feet as well as his thoughts. Mukuro was so _forward_. He hadn’t prepared for this. “It’s… I mean, no, it’s just that Shouichi knows better than I do. It’s, um. Important we rely on all members of royalty, right?”

Mukuro’s smile said he didn’t believe a single word of it, and Enma couldn’t rightly blame him. “I’ve done my research, little one.” _Uncomfortable_ , he was an adult the same as any of them, even if he was on the smaller side. “You were meant to be King, once. Raised in the castle, did all the training, lost your father in the same assassination that killed _our_ last King,” conjecture, that last bit, the events had been within days of each other but on opposite sides of the continent. “Only for that man to come from nowhere, and take your crown away.”

“...I didn’t want to be King.”

“I believe you.” Another twirl, Enma tripped and Mukuro turned it smoothly into a dip before pulling him back up. “But then he made you Queen. And he cut you out of everything.” It was all true, of course it was, Mukuro really had done his research, but…

“It’s an honor to serve my kingdom. I’m sure you understand.” All the lies Enma was used to spouting, he was terrible at this, why had Mukuro picked _him_?

“That man. Just what is he up to? Are you really so eager for war as he’s preparing to be?”

 _Ah_. There it was.

“...I’m sorry, King Mukuro. But could you… meet me later? Somewhere more private?”

Mukuro smiled.


End file.
